by Michael Matotek of Open Sky Energy and Marion Yaglinski of TTM
What do the Media Elementary School, Trader Joe’s Armory building, the Media Theatre and the Media Borough Building all have in common? All of these buildings make a portion of the energy they need from solar power. You may have also noticed some of your borough friends and neighbors have gone solar. Why is solar so popular in Media?
Many people adopt solar to save money on their electric bill by producing their own kilowatt hours instead of buying them from PECO. Besides saving money, solar provides you with the unique opportunity of turning your home’s rooftop into your very own mini-power plant capable of generating electricity without burning coal or natural gas. Solar can be a great win-win scenario allowing you to save money and produce clean electricity. Couple your new solar array with an electric car and you will never have to pump gasoline again! And if that’s not enough, think about how much value rooftop solar adds to your home!
But saving money isn’t the only benefit of solar. Solar is good for the environment. It is a renewable energy that emits no greenhouse gases. So in addition to saving money, you’d be helping to protect the environment.
And why rooftop solar instead of remote centralized solar? Rooftop solar is vastly superior to large centralized power facilities and their transmission infrastructures. Rooftop solar can be installed much more quickly, doesn’t disturb the landscape and wildlife, costs less, and doesn’t deplete groundwater.
Sounds great, but isn’t solar expensive? Yes and no. Although Pennsylvania no longer directly supports solar with a grant program, the net costs for rooftop solar have dropped significantly over the past few years, mostly due to lower panel prices. A typical installation will pay for itself in 7-10 years through electrical savings, federal tax credit, and the sale of SRECs (solar renewable energy credits). There are also many financing options available to reduce or eliminate the upfront costs. After the payback point is reached, you can sit back and bask in the sunshine as your solar array continues to rock for the next 20+ years!
If you have ever considered powering your home with solar energy, please continue the journey with us over the next few months as we discuss rooftop solar specifically tailored to homes in the Media Borough. We will answer common questions such as: Will solar work on my rooftop? How many panels do I need? What will solar look like on my home? How much does it cost? What are the available financial incentives? Please check back in with us for our next issue as we address what it takes to be an ideal site for rooftop solar.
We don’t have to wait — solar is here now.
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